Turnfeather
by Dethia1101
Summary: They were loyal. Raised from chicks to know the cause, live the cause, BE the cause. And then they lost a brother. The pain let them see the truth. The pain let them escape. They didn't mean to go to the Owls of the Great Ga'hoole Tree. They were only trying to help out asome owls that were mobbed. But how could they not become what all hated and no one trusted? Turnfeathers.
1. Chapter 1

**YO! Mah PEEPS! Please entertain my newest fandom! the GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE! *squeals like the disgusting fangirl I am***

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**Turnfeather**

_Chapter One_

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"_We can't stay here." A voice whispered into the darkness. _

"_Where on earth can we go?" Another questioned._

"_Anywhere is better than here." A third voice._

"Here_ is all we know." The second spoke again, denying the option._

"_But they didn't even _care _about Algie! We need to leave." A fourth. It was heated and emotional._

"_And what of the forces that they will send for us? You know they don't allow for deserters." Second._

"_Are you saying we aren't strong enough to handle a bunch of simple soldiers?" Third._

"_I'm _saying_ that we should think this through." Second._

"_If they didn't care about _Algie_, who has been loyal to them since hatching, why would they care about _us _who have been loyal just as long? We begged the High Tyto and Her Pureness to allow us a burial or ceremony in his honor. They didn't even know whom we spoke of." The first spoke again._

_Silence greeted this statement until it was broken by the second voice._

"_When will we leave?"_

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On the edge of the great Forest Kingdom of Tyto, a great gathering of owls was happening. They were all members of the Pure Ones, a group of owls who believed that all owls of the _Tytonidae_ family of Owls to be superior to all other.

In the tallest tree close to the castle that the Pure Ones called their base, a fir tree, stood a Barn Owl who bore a metal mask and beak that covered half of his face. He was the new High Tyto, Kludd, leader of the Pure Ones. Next to him was a Barn Owl whose beauty surpassed all other, for her facial disk looked as though all the Moon's brightest light had been sealed into the feathers. This was because she was born on the night of a lunar eclipse. She was Nyra, the mate of the new High Tyto.

On the branches below them were the High Tyto's highest ranking generals and personal guard.

On the fir tree to the left perched the Nyra Annihilators, Nyra's personal regiment, and the High Tyto's own elite regiment. At least 40 owls perched on that one tree.

On the fir tree to the right sat four owls. They were the elite squad all foot soldiers wished to one day join. They were the "Elite Wings" assasins of the Pure Ones, experts on using feather blades, a type of specialized wing-armor weapon that hid in the primary feathers of an owl by appearing to be shiny, silver feathers.

Their leader was a young, but proud, female Barn Owl by the name of Khrys, who had white plumage with large chocolate-brown spots, and light brown wings, with tan and dark brown spots smattered through her feathers. Her facial disk was white, but she had two tan colored dots, one above her right eye, and another right next to her beak.

Her second was Marl, a male Golden Masked Owl who was much larger than his leader. His facial disk was a light brown that in the moonlight was a beautiful shade of amber. His plumage was a mocha brown with darker brown spots layered all through them, and his wings matched his spots. The spots on his wings were the same shade of brown as his facial disk.

The navigator of the Elite Wings was Sagax, a male Sooty Owl. His facial disk was a dusty Brown, and the spots on his underside, a natural off-white color, and wings, a darker brown, matched. Oddly enough, the plumage in the center of his chest was completely devoid of spots.

The last member was Nerda, the only other female in the group aside from Khrys, and she was a Grass Owl. Her facial disk was tree bark brown, and so were her wings. Her plumage was a lighter shade than her wings, but her spots were hazel, that in the right light seemed a bit more green than brown, and they seemed to heavily decorate her wings and back. She served as the information gatherer.

Despite their standing in the Pure Ones' army, however they were depressed. It showed in the dimness in all four sets of dark eyes, the lack of luster in their feathers. They had lost Algie, a member of their team and another Sooty owl, in a skirmish with St. Aggie's over the flecks, thin pieces of iron that had magnetic properties and a drastic effect on the gizzard, the organ that sets owls apart from other birds.

But no owl had time to think of such things, they wished to know what their new leader had to say.

A screeching call from one of the High Tyto's general's resulted in immediate silence. Once they were sure that all the attention was on them, Her Pureness began to speak. "Tyto's!" She called. "I have the great honor of introducing you to your new leader and my Mate, the High Tyto Kludd!" Immediately, calls of approval were heard, and their new leader raised his metal beak high in pride. But Lady Nyra wasn't finished yet. "Now, in the light of the full moon and in the sight of Glaux, the first Tyto, you are here to swear your oaths of allegiance to the new High Tyto."

And then the swearing began. First, one was to speak their oath to the High Tyto. If his wing swept over One's head or they gained a nod, one had his acquiescence; your oath was well, but it wasn't all that pleasing. If his beak graced your feathers, or he spoke to you, you had his sublime approval; he enjoyed your oath and believed in your loyalty to both him and the cause.

However if you got no reaction you were shamed: They could either take their punishment like true Tyto's or flee and die when the proceedings were over.

First the generals spoke of their allegiance, only one did not garner a reaction, and decided to flee. Enraged hissing filled the air. Then the Nyra Annihilators and the elite squadron did theirs per regiment. Both garnered a nod. Finally, it was time for the Elite Wings' oaths.

They rose as one and landed on the small tree in front of the High Tyto's tree that had served as a stage all night. They bowed low; one leg straight, the other bent, beaks nearly touching the branch in front of them, wings open. When they straightened, they kept their eyes submissively downcast. Khrys stepped forward. As leader, she would speak for them. "Lord High Tyto, we beg to be of service to you and your goals," She began. No one noticed, with her eyes sufficiently downcast, the disgust that swam in their dark depths. "We beg the honor of fighting for you, we beg the honor of being of use to you. We thank you for the honor of being in your presence, for which we are not truly worthy. For you, Purest One, we forever swear our humble lives; for without you, Greatest One, we are nothing but Impure, and deserve not even the depths of Hagsmire."

And with that they bowed low again, and didn't rise, for all appearances awaiting his judgment. Kludd himself was both pleased and stunned. Who knew that these owls were so loyal to the Pure Ones, so loyal to him. He stared hard at them, before speaking. "You may rise and retake your place as loyal members of the Pure Ones, the truly Pure and Righteous."

They rose and began to flap back to their station, a simultaneous 'Thank you, my Lord.' emerging from the formation of owls. As they flew back, cheers arose from the common soldiers, and continued until Kludd himself called for silence.

If any would have bothered to look, they would have noticed how all of them seemed bigger than before, because they had fluffed their feathers up in their aggravation. Khrys' near-silent murmur was almost too quiet to hear, but her team heard her and understood.

"We leave a week and a half from now, just before the new moon. I cannot stand to be here any longer."

And personally, they all agreed.

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Sagax was nervous as he did his last perimeter check for the Pure Ones, just before daybreak as was required, because just before the edge of the sun touched the horizon they would fly out. Out of the castle, out of the Forest of Tyto, and out of the Pure Ones. Forever.

It wasn't that he didn't want to leave the Pure Ones; he did! They had forsook Algie so quickly, not even allowing them a time of mourning. But he was _scared_! He knew, they ALL knew, what happened to deserters. Good Glaux, they themselves had meted out the punishment for the owls that had been caught! But Khrys was right. She was almost always right. They were not truly cared for here! Yes, the common owls in the army looked up to them, but that was only because they were the only truly integrated unit in the Pure Ones army. They didn't understand the stress. The things they'd witnessed… the things they _did._ All, apparently, for owls who didn't care about them. For a cause they couldn't honestly say they believed in.

They had met other owls while on missions for the former High Tyto. Owls that weren't Tyto's. On missions in the Desert nation of Kuneer, they had met a family of Elf Owls who taught them about the dangers of the full moon.

A family of Spotted Owls in the forest Kingdom of Ambala taught them about what could happen to unborn chicks when exposed to flecks, about how if a young, immature owl was exposed to flecks they could change, or "Shatter" as they called it, resulting in a unmoving gizzard.

What made these owls that had knowledge beyong their own any less than owls of the _Tytonidae_ family? It was a question that haunted their minds for a long time now. A question that plagued Algie until his death.

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When Sagax landed in the hollow the Elite Wing's shared, he was met with the unmoving forms of Marl and Nerda, the empty nest of Algie, and the mask-like face of Khrys. He wilfed, a thing most owls did when scared or nervous where their feathers seemed to become plastered to their bodies. He opened his beak to say something, anything, when she shook her head and gestured to him to follow her outside, before leaving. He blinked before following, and found her perched on a branch nearby, not far from the hollow, gazing out into the distance at the rising sun, not really seeing it.

He didn't have to wait long for her to speak her mind. "Sagax," She hooted softly, "I'm scared." She turned her dark eyes onto his own shocked pair. "And I'm pretty sure it's for the same reason you are. I don't want to lose anybody else either. But if we stay here, we'll grow to hate this place even more, and even come to hate each other. We'll have to watch each other die slowly on the inside. And I think that's the last thing any of us would want. The last thing that Algie would have wanted."

Sagax nodded slowly, sadly. "Yeah," he warbled. "Yeah, I think that would be the worst. I'm scared about that but I'm also scared about leaving home." Just thinking about leaving made him wilf, and his eyes shine with desperation.

Khrys blinked at him and then scooted closer to gently preen at his right wing flight feathers, soothing him enough to relax. Once she felt that he had calmed, she posed her final question to him, not stopping her gentle movements. "But when has this place ever truly been a home?"

Sagax froze, thinking this over. Had it ever felt like a home? No, it did not remind him of the monetary comfort he had in his family's nest, something he couldn't tangibly recall, but it was a feeling he'd been bereft of for a long time, until he met his unit. His family, which had a huge hole in it since the death of Algie. It didn't have the warmth, the life, the _love_ that so many of the hollows they had visited had.

Taking another great sigh he stepped away from Khrys and her care and gently clacked beaks with her. Understanding that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, she flitted back to the hollow, and lay down in her own nest, silently pleading to Glaux that Sagax could gain the understanding he needed to make this change-she did not want to lose another of her brothers.

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**What cha think? Too much, too little? More umph? Less bleh?**

**Results people, I need results for my new fandom!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hoolla! Again, Here I stand! Typing to you live from wherever the hell I'm at now!**

**Thank you so very much **_WolfmoonWarrior28 _**for reviewing!**

**And without further ado:**

**ACTION!**

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**Turnfeather**

_Chapter 2_

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It was a hour before the sun set and twixt time came, but they were ready. For a long time, when expected to do missions for the High Tyto and her Pureness they were expected to leave long before other owls awakened and return soon after the other's had gone to their nests.

Only this time they weren't on a mission for a foolish ruler and his mate, or for a even more foolish cause. They weren't going to come back after a week or two, or even a month.

They were leaving. Forever. But they were going to be strong. For each other, for themselves, and most importantly: for their fallen comrade and brother Algie.

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It was quickly decided how they would go about it. Khrys, as their strategist, pointed out that it's always those who are nervous, acting out of character, that are caught and dragged back to the High Tyto for punishment. They simply had to act as they always did.

But how on earth were they going to do that? They weren't doing anything that was normal for them!

But act natural was what they had to do. So they lifted off in their usual formation when around the Pure Ones. Khrys took point, Marl falling into her starboard flank. Nerda took to her port side, and Sagax moved in directly behind Khrys, if not a few wing-lengths behind to guide them properly.

Looking properly majestic and mysterious to the daytime guard, They gave a graceful loop around the tree in which their hollow resided, silently saying goodbye to their home. It was only because of the sun's light that the other owls were unable to see Nerda's heartbroken eyes or tell that her flying was ragged and off-course. After that silent memorial, the angled so they flew off towards the beaks, vowing to never return.

They were not stopped.

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Flying with gusto, falling back into they relaxed their flight positions, with Marl and Khrys practically next to each other as they planned, Sagax fell back to speak to the uncharacteristically silent Nerda. Nerda may have been their information gather, and she could be silent or even go undercover for months on end, but she was generally hyperactive, and she could be incredibly naïve at times. She and Algie had been close, and when he died, they had all worried over her mental state.

As such, they all kept a close eye on her, and when the option of leaving was put on debate, she did not bother to question it. It made the others sad to see hatred in her otherwise carefree and happy eyes when the Pure Ones were brought up.

As Algie was also close to Sagax, especially since they had been the same type of owl. Algie had, in a way, taken Sagax and Nerda under-wing.

Sagax gently brushed wing feathers with Nerda to get her attention. "Hey," He hooted softly, "Are you gonna be okay?"

Nerda blinked and stared at him for a bit, and it took a little bit of time for the faraway look to leave her eyes, but it did. She gave a small ruffle of her feathers, the flying equivalent of a shrug. "I don't know." She hooted, gazing up at the dwenking moon as though it could tell her why. "It's nice to leave them. I don't _want _to be anywhere _near_ those _murderers!_" She screeched suddenly, rage decorating he features, attracting the attention of Marl and Khrys who fell silent and drifted back to join them. "But…" Before their very eyes she seemed to go into herself, appearing to become smaller as she gazed at the only owls she could honestly call family with desperation and pain. "It feels like were _leaving _him!"

Marl flew back to brush wings lightly with her other side. Khrys stay ahead, but fell back enough for them to know she was listening. He opened his beak and his rather soothing hoot for any type of Tyto filled the air, sonorous and calm. "We aren't leaving him. We are leaving what he knew behind. His wishes were for us to be happy." He paused and every owl their remembered their fallen brother, the happiness and joy he made them feel in times of desolation and depression. "We know the him no other owl knew. We knew the him that liked to goof off and hang by his talons from a branch, how he liked to bait the crows when we flew through the day to get our missions complete, how he had a overlarge affection for looking at his own reflection." Soft, amused churring filled the air. "They have the memory of him being cold and cruel and loyal to a false cause. We have him as _him_. They can keep the farce we all put up."

Marl's philosophical, but true, words seemed to be exactly what was needed. Nerda brightened considerably, her eyes taking the happy light they all loved her for. Sagax wiggled his tail feathers and gave a happy little hoot. But Khrys' reaction was the largest, with a loud happy cry she began to do the air maneuvers that she and Algie often did together and competed in, dipping and diving, flying back up with a twirl, she began to belt out the ditty that Algie had created and adored to sing:

_Here in the light of the moon,_

_I fly with my wings and my feathers._

_Here in the surge of battle,_

_I fight with my mind and my talons._

_But here, _

_In the depths of my gizzard,_

_In the depths of my heart,_

_In the depths of my mind,_

_I fly with my family,_

_And all of their might!_

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**Okay, I say this with all the love and affection I have for the god-worthy site of : STOP BEING A BITCH! God, do you all have any idea how many times i had to retype this shit becuase it kept nomming mah words for brekky?! TOO MANY!**

**Sorry for the outbursts!**

**Liking is optional, Reviewing is required (though I do hope you like it tooXD)**

**Yours in Fandom,**

**Dethia.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes, I am sadly aware that i have very short chapters, but I swear they'll get longer! Just stop making my feel like I'm stingy!**

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**Turnfeather**

_Chapter 3_

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Falling into a familiar flight pattern, their training with the Pure Ones kicked in and they began to suspiciously circle a small section of trees. Slowly lowering themselves into a large tree with a hollow that looked big enough to house them all, Marl and Khrys stood guard while Sagax and Nerda checked out the tree.

After they confirmed that the place was safe, each left to do a different job. Nerda went to collect the softest moss she could find for their small over-night trip. Sagax was surveying the surrounding area and marking their current position. Khrys was hunting with ferocity, the words Marl spoke earlier still loud in her mind.

Marl himself cleaned the hollow of insects and dead moss from the time the place was a former dwelling. In the little bits of moss were the feathers of a Great Grey owl, and a Burrowing Owl. Near one of the smaller bunches of moss were talon marks, too large to be a chick (a chick's talons wouldn't even be developed to leave marks beyond tiny pokes) but too small to be a owl of ordinary size, leaving it to be either a Elf or Pygmy Owl, but the Pygmy Owl theory was more likely. Elf owl's didn't often fly far from Kuneer. At the base of the tree were some pellets, and within the array were Barn Owl pellets, so obviously a type of Barn Owl was here as well with them.

Marl gave a little sigh and continued with his given job. Algie was their tracker, and was specifically trained for that position like how Sagax was trained for navigation, Nerda for espionage, Himself in the mastery of weapons, and Khrys in battle strategy. He was happy that from being together for so long had allowed their unique knowledge to rub off on each other.

And while Marl had said such moving words before, and he had meant what he said! He still missed their Algie deeply. He missed the debates they'd have over pointless things: which type of prey was better, whether a storm would pop up, what that cloud in the sky looked like. Algie made them laugh more than ever. And he missed that laughter.

Movement at the opening of the hollow had him look up from his collecting. Nerda sat there, staring at him with a wad of moss in her beak. Then she broke out into laughter, doing all she could to keep from falling off of the branch, finally throwing herself into the hollow. Sagax, finished with his surveillance, and Khrys, three plump voles clasped by their tails in her beak lighted down onto the outside branch and stepped in, only to begin laughing as well.

By now Marl's feathers were so ruffled he could've resembled a feathery cacti. "What? What?!" He demanded, embarrassment making his hoot rougher. Feeling hot underneath his feathers, he glared at them until Sagax finally regained some sense. "Y-you're _green_!" He couldn't contain himself any longer and began to laugh again. Marl, fed up with it, lighted down to the nearby lake and got a good look at himself. Soon he was laughing just as hard as they were. With his feathers fluffed up so much, it was obvious what it was that was so hilarious. His feathers were matted with what looked to be green mush, staining his usually beautifully brown feathers a icky green. He looked as though a tree had barfed on him. Added to that, some stray moss had attached itself to the mush in thick cords, making it look like he had worms coming off of him too.

As he laughed with his family he realized that inadvertently, he had gotten their laughter back. Algie must have been laughing at them from Glaumora.

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**... I have the feeling that this sucks, and I apologize for it. I just need to give you all a firm grip on their personalities before the Band/Chaw of Chaws and the Guardians pop up somehow.**

**Please don't hate me!**

**Reviewing is required, liking is optional (but please like it!)**

**Yours in Fandom,**

**Dethia.**


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